Dear Readers,
With the onset of a wonderful year and the global economy recovering from the down turn, the tourism industry is all set to woe the travellers in different innovative ways. The list of amazing destinations never ends and so the excitement of a real traveller. As they say-“Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living”- it is all about experiencing new ideas and moving forward in life. For this same reason, the Indian travellers have outnumbered the other travellers from different countries in the year of 2009, the worst economic year of the last few decades.

This year, the British Airways has taken out a list of world’s Top ten Destinations where New Delhi is featured at the tenth position. Thanks to the growing trend for tiger safari, nearby destinations like the Bandhavgarh Wildlife Sanctuary and Kanha National Park provide another reason to get off the beaten track and visit Delhi in 2010. Well, this is a good news for our tourism industry but it also signifies how backward we are as compared to the other top destinations like Cape Town in South Africa or Istanbul in Turkey. South Africa tops the list because of its dedication towards innovative adventure sports while Istanbul comes second for it provides highest number of ‘Things to do’ with true value for money. So, this is high time for India to gear up and accept improvisations in our hospitality and tourism sector. The upcoming Commonwealth Games and new concepts like medical and eco-tourism are expected to open up new avenues and put India in the world class destinations map.

To grab future opportunities, India’s Aviation and Hospitality Industries should come out with exclusive packages, designed for foreign as well as domestic tourists comprising hotel accommodation, short trips to nearby destinations, yoga and Ayurvedic therapies, food and taxi etc. Keeping in view of India’s strength in ancient tradition of Ayurveda and the availability of low-cost Medical Tourism facilities in India, we can expect a push in India’s Foreign Exchange Earnings. Estimates reveal that each foreigner visiting India during the period is likely to spend Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 30, 000 in availing Ayurvedic expertise in various Ayurvedic and herbal centers. Indian Medical Travel Association (IMTA) has partnered with FICCI - India’s leading business federation -to promote Medical Value Travel to India from the African Continent. ‘Namaskar Africa’ – an Indian business expedition to Africa is being initialized with due support from the Ministry of Commerce, Government of India. Thus, a planned approach towards implementing these ideas can actually help.

So, we may expect this year to rake out moolahs in a large number and contribute to the economy but the rest depends on the zeal of a traveller. A true traveller doesn’t believe in destination but the experience that awaits him. No matter how good a destination is, he enjoys the journey itself. So be a true traveller. Go on and spread the warmth - winter is a perfect season for that.

Happy Travelling